OVERGROWN trees in a Darwen estate are creating a difficult living situation for residents, a councillor has said.

Many of the trees in the Chapels estate have now got so big that they are disturbing people’s satellite dishes, blocking light and ruining views of Darwen Tower.

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Cllr Jane Oates has said she had been complaining to Together Housing Group, which owns several of the houses, for months to try and get the trees sorted out.

Together Housing Group has said that work is scheduled on trees in the estate in the winter.

Cllr Oates said: “These trees have outgrown the area and I have had residents coming to me a lot recently.

“I have had people tell me these trees are spoiling their view of the tower, stopping Sky TV from working in their homes and blocking light from getting into the house properly.

“I have been complaining to Together Housing for months but no one seems to come and sort anything out.

“These trees are actually resting on people’s roofs and it’s becoming a real issue for them.”

The Chapels estate consists of a streets including Templeton Close, Chapels Brow, Allerton Close and Summerton Walk.

Cllr Oates said it had now got to the point where residents were being forced to deal with the trees themselves.

She said: “I know that many people have taken it upon themselves to start chopping and clipping the trees, but that’s not right it should be done by someone who knows what they are doing.”

Some homes are privately owned and some are owned by Together Housing, with residents being given the opportunity to buy houses off housing provider after a certain period of living there.

Ian Bell, head of neighbourhoods at Together Housing, said: “We manage our trees responsibly so if there is no danger to the health and wellbeing of customers or of severe detriment to their quality of life or threat to the structure of a property, because of a tree issue, then we will refrain from undertaking any work.

“There is some pruning work to be done on the Chapels estate that will be picked up during the winter.”